Letizia Ramolino

Mother of Napoleon

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Lived 1750–1836, aged 86France

France Historical Figures

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46 languages
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Era
1750–1836
Aged 86

Summary

Updated 2026-06-08

She bore thirteen children in Corsica, eight survived, and one became Emperor of the French. Napoleon's mother — Madame Mère — watched her son climb from artillery officer to sovereign, then followed him into exile's shadow.

Biography

About

Born in Ajaccio when Corsica belonged to Genoa, Maria-Letizia Ramolino married Carlo Buonaparte in 1764 and raised their children through war and uncertainty. Widowed in 1785, she moved to mainland France just as revolution ignited. Over the next two decades her son Napoleon tore through the military ranks, seized power as First Consul in 1799, and crowned himself Emperor in 1804. She held no official title but commanded quiet authority at the center of his court. After his abdication in 1815, she withdrew to Rome under papal protection and lived in seclusion until her death in 1836, twenty-on…

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